AT&T, Moto debut new slider phone Karma

Motorola Inc. is banking on some good karma.

The Schaumburg communications company said it plans to debut its new slider phone, a social messaging slider called Karma QA1, on Sunday exclusively with AT&T.

The curvy and compact device lets you chag (chat and tag), froke (friend and poke) and pessage (post and message), so you can express yourself the way you want, said Motorola spokeswoman Danielle K. McNally.

"Karma is designed for 24/7 mobile socializing and following multiple conversations," McNally said via e-mail. "From the homescreen of Karma you have one-click access to Facebook and MySpace for easy status updates, checking out friend profiles and picture/video uploads. Keep track of conversations with a slide-out keyboard that's friendly to your thumbs, and make your virtual conversations feel a little more real with IM-style texting."

The beleaguered Motorola, which has been searching for a hit since its now-worn Razr, is still aiming to debut its android phone later this year. But its Karma debut is clearly targeting the youth market.

"This is definitely a great phone for teens and young adults who use their phones to stay connected to their family and friends on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace," said AT&T spokeswoman Meghan Roskopf.

You also can update a status, share a comment or post pictures and video from Karma's 2.0 megapixel camera. Meet new people, connect with friends and share your photos and videos directly from the device with JuiceCaster, a service that comes pre-loaded so you can connect immediately. Music lovers can use the 3.5 mm headphone jack for use with a wide range of headphones.

Karma will be available in select AT&T stores or at www.wireless.att.com beginning Sunday for $79.99 after mail-in rebate, with a two-year service agreement for wireless voice plans of $39.99 a month or higher and a $20-a-month data or messaging plan. Pay $129.99 and after mail-in rebate receive a $50 AT&T promotion card.